The Power of Numbers in Global Governance
Abstract
The articles in this special section argue that, by looking at quantification
as a technical and political technique of power, we can effectively engage
with newly established types of transnational power and better understand
how numbers can enable reconfigurations and hence reorderings of
power relations. The section looks at how numbers, in the form of risk assessments,
measuring for results, and governance indicators, have a crucial
impact in current transnational politics, which in turn influences resource
allocation and recognition, discourses on undesirable individuals, possibilities
for political leverage, and potential ownership.